A goal of mine before leaving New York City this summer was to see a Broadway play. Having been a fan of musicals, I knew this would not be a drag for myself. However, finding someone to accompany me served as a greater challenge.
In order to get one of my siblings to bless me with their presence, I had to choose a musical loved by all – Wicked. Unfortunately, these tickets run up to $250 a piece, and even $110 for a nosebleed, but I was determined. If I could come up with two tickets for my younger sister’s birthday, the guilt would be great enough for her to come with me - it would not just be The Wizard and I seeing this show!
With only two weeks left in New York City and having only Mondays off from the hostess job I picked up, the pressure for buying these specific tickets were high. The day of the show, I stopped by the Gershwin Theatre ticket office to purchase two student rush tickets. The gentleman behind the counter, unfortunately, had Something Bad to say.
“We don’t have student rush my dear. We have a raffle open to the public for front row seats, two-hours before every show.”
OK, not a problem. “How many people show up?” I asked humbly.
“Well, we have twenty-six seats and each person is allowed to purchase two tickets, so thirteen names are pulled from a crowd of 200 people…” - this was definitely a Popular event for people to participate in.
“Those seem like terrible odds,” I responded woefully - No Good Deed ever happens to me.
“Well, you’re looking lucky today!” the Sentimental Man replied. Although, in the back of my mind, I knew Glinda’s bubble had popped for me – I'm Not that Girl who wins raffles, especially with those odds.
Regardless of the 6% chance, I walked back over to the theatre at 4:45pm to submit my name. Casually signing “Alexandra Bolhack, 2” and a <3 heart For Good luck, I handed the doorman my slip of paper and weaved back through the cramped crowd that had already assembled for the drawing.
At exactly 5:00pm, the doors closed. One by one names were drawn – people cheering after each name. But these cheers fooled did not fool me - No One Mourns the [Winners]. The limbs of my body all of a sudden felt like a noodle. "What is this Feeling?" is all I could think to myself.
“Alexandra Bolhack”
My eyes shot up. Dear Old Shiz, it couldn’t be. “That’s me! That’s me!” I barely whispered from shocked. I had defied the odds.
Half-panicking, half-numb, I stood in line amongst the twelve other luckiest people in the square with a smile unmatched, feeling as though I was Defying Gravity. The crowd from the drawing, unfortunately, looked as though they were the March of the Witch Hunters.
After paying $60 for the priceless tickets, I glanced down and thought, "As Long As You're Mine, I'll be the happiest girl in the world!" I clutched my bag to my chest – it was now the most precious thing I owned. It was crazy to think how my evening had changed in just One Short [Hour].
Luckily, Lauren was able to get off work early enough to grab a quick dinner before the show - Thank Goodness - wearing casual shorts and a t-shirt due to the unexpected change in her plans. Meanwhile, I could not sit still in my chair enough to eat my dinner.
Soon enough, it was time to head to our seats. Dancing Through [Broadway], we raced to the theatre. Because I did not purchase the seats in advance, I really had no idea if they were stage left, right, or obscure view. By passing all the rows to front, I saw two seats in the dead center of the stage still open – my heartbeat rising to the sudden realization. Sure enough, my sister and I scored the two center seats to the best musical on Broadway :) . It truly was a Wonderful night in Oz - the best Finale to a summer in the City.
